The ILLINI versus Iowa Preview (and the new JOMBO™)

[Hammerlock3]

2 minutes ago, Le duke said:

I’m just imagining Carter standing in the middle of the mat, pointing at Gabe on the bench, saying, “You!” while Angel Rivera and Kennedy wait for him.


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Starocci is sort of an @$$hole but I would not blame him for that one,

[Le duke]

Starocci is sort of an @$$hole but I would not blame him for that one,

I could also see Carter breaking Kennedy in half with a bow and arrow, walking up to the Iowa bench and drawing his hand across his throat. Team points be damned.

He loves playing the villain. The dude walks out to the theme song from Halloween. Not kidding.


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[Mr. PeanutButter]

Pleasantly surprised by Kennedy here. I was low on him but am starting to be hopeful that he just might AA

[GreatWhiteNorth]

From what I've seen, a lot of people are low on Riggins too. But he he's performed well. This match will be interesting.

[wrestle87]

Kennedy is definitely benefitting from having caliendo and franek in the room

[Hammerlock3]

Poeta has to get these guys some crayons, this colored pencil nonsense isn't getting it done.

[Hammerlock3]

1 minute ago, wrestle87 said:

Kennedy is definitely benefitting from having caliendo and franek in the room

IDK about caliendo....

jokes aside I'm not convinced he doesn't have a better shot at placing at 74 anyway...

[VakAttack]

Kennedy is severely underrated because he's not as good as Caliendo.  Of course he's not beating Starocci, but he's really good!

[GreatWhiteNorth]

Whatever happens, Glazier can't get hurt. Do not want to see who might replace him in the lineup.

[jchapman]

IMar looks like he could fill in at 197

[Hammerlock3]

39 minutes ago, VakAttack said:

Kennedy is severely underrated because he's not as good as Caliendo.  Of course he's not beating Starocci, but he's really good!

Caliendo is also underrated

[ILLINIWrestlingBlog]

ILLINI made it a great match last year, but that didn't happen this season. Ouch. Great by Kannon Webster and Dylan Connell. I had to listen to Ironside on the radio, and I can't wait until the next ILLINI win in the season because I'm going to play that broadcast at my third wedding. 

DUAL RECAP

The dual started at 133, and the teams were both a Frankenstein patchwork of wrestlers (apparently) because of injuries and illnesses. 

The ILLINI missed an opportunity at 133, as that was the second worst weight for the Hawkeyes during their dual season. Rather than a win, the ILLINI gave up a major decision. Not something you expect from the sixth-year Senior TONY MADRIGAL against the Hawkeye backup. 

It hurts even more because Real Woods didn't make the trip, so the Hawkeye bumped up their starter at 133 at 141. Madrigal should've made them pay for that. 

At 141, it was a bumped-up 6th-year grad student and three-time NCAA qualifier (R12, R16) Brody Teske versus true Freshman WILL BAYSINGAR. Teske gets the only takedown and rides out the second period to grab a 5-0 victory. No word on what happened to DANNY PUCINO. 

KANNON WEBSTER is now officially in the starting lineup for good. He got the start. Caleb Rathjen started for Iowa. It went into SV with the score 1-1. There, Kannon got the takedown and another ranked win against a tough wrestler. 

Coming off what must have been a brutal hand injury JOE ROBERTS gave up a tech fall to AA Jared Franek. 

CHRIS MOORE took on Michael Caliendo, the returning AA and transfer from NDSU. He gave up the tech fall in the second period. 5-1 was the Patrick Kennedy decision over EDMOND RUTH. 

The ILLINI need a win at 184, and they send out DYLAN CONNELL against Aiden Riggins. This is where Iowa loses most of its dual points. Dylan comes through with a takedown in SV for the win.

Undefeated Zach Glazier faced off with JOEY BRAUNAGEL at 197. The Hawkeye got the second-period tech fall. At heavyweight, the ILLINI are without LUUUKE LUFFMAN so PETER MARINOPOULOS got the start. Bradley Hill gets the pin with :17 to go in the match. On the bright side, the pin came from a cradle after Peter took a shot in the third period. 

At 125, JUSTIN CARDANI faced #5 Drake Ayala. Justin lost this match 4-7 two years ago, but this was a 18-3 tech fall.   

Final Score: ILLINI-6; Iowa-36

[ILLINIWrestlingBlog]

43 minutes ago, ILLINIWrestlingBlog said:

I had to listen to Ironside on the radio, and I can't wait until the next ILLINI win in the series because I'm going to play that broadcast at my third wedding. 

 

There's only one thing worse than ruining the punchline of a joke, and that's ruining the punchline of a bad joke. 

[Rassling]

Iowa looked really good last night.

[bnwtwg]

10 hours ago, jchapman said:

IMar looks like he could fill in at 197

Hef was his mentor...

[ionel]

15 hours ago, jchapman said:

IMar looks like he could fill in at 197

related ... was Jumbo in attendance? 

[OMW]

23 hours ago, Hammerlock3 said:

Poeta has to get these guys some crayons, this colored pencil nonsense isn't getting it done.

YES! Then any Marine Infantry in the crowd will have something good to eat instead of the concession stand stuff!

[Lipdrag]

On 1/24/2024 at 5:54 AM, ILLINIWrestlingBlog said:

WHERE:  Historic Huff Hall, Champaign, ILLINOIS

When did Huff Gym get renamed?  Decades ago, probably. 

I spent many a cold cold early January morning there in the 80's with the ROTC Drill Team.  This was back when we got a 4 week or so break between semesters.  We'd go back to campus a week before classes resumed in late January.  Zero Dark Thirty practice, freezing cold gym, dark lights never getting to full illumination, rifles flying through the air, bloody hands (and a teammate's bloody forehead once), screaming drill instructors and drill team commanders, marching marching marching.  I knew every corner of Huff Gym back then.

We even still had nut job former Vietnam War protesters who couldn't let it go try to spit on us in our uniforms from time to time on campus back then.  Those silly liberal arts professors.  Couldn't spit straight to save their lives.

The picture below is nice but indicative of a JV squad performance.  Performing in moderate climate conditions, covers off, rifles clearly out of sync, guy on right playing patticake with his hands rather than maintaining military bearing and keeping his left hand down until the proper moment to raise it to catch the rifle thrown at him.  The bayonettes are nice.  UofI would not let us use them when we practiced at Huff.  Actually they wouldn't let us use bayonettes at all.  Sissies. 

 

 

The below pic is really cool.  This JV squad is pretty good.

Done that.  But not there!  

Edited January 28 by Lipdrag